Statement on Violence at U.S. Capitol

Today the four former bipartisan Secretaries of Homeland Security who founded and lead Citizens for a Strong Democracy released the following statement in response to the violence yesterday at the U.S. Capitol:

“American democracy is resilient. We bend but we don’t break. What we saw yesterday was a small group of extremists who sought to interfere with Congress’ ability to do its job – to receive and count the votes of the electors as certified by each of the 50 states.

As Secretaries of Homeland Security, each of us prepared for scenarios in which the U.S. Capitol might be attacked by foreign adversaries. None of us imagined we would witness it attacked by Americans. At the same time, given that President Trump’s supporters’ plans for mobilization today were well publicized, there is no reason this situation should have been allowed to escalate to the point that it did. Those who have violated the law should be held fully accountable. President Trump, too, must be held to account for recklessly inciting this violence by endlessly repeating outright lies and rousing his supporters to challenge the legitimacy of the 2020 election.

Efforts to hinder the peaceful transfer of power undermine our democracy and our shared American values. Protest is a fundamental right, but violence is not, particularly when the goal is to subvert the functioning of our governmental institutions. The bottom line is that while our country may be deeply divided on deep issues, Americans voted and chose Joe Biden to be our nation’s next president. The U.S. has seen more than 240 years of successful and legitimate presidential transitions and this year will be no exception.”